Green light for $23m freight warehouse

A $23 million freight and logistics warehouse proposal as part of Hesperia's $500 million Roe Highway Logistics Park was approved in 10 minutes by a state government's assessment panel.

The Metro Outer Joint Development Assessment Panel unanimously approved Mainfreight’s $23 million proposal to build a warehouse at the logistics park in Kenwick, at its meeting this morning.

The Roe Highway Logistics Park is a 72-hectare estate, a joint venture by Hesperia and Gibb Group, also named the Maddington Kenwick Strategic Employment Area.

The development application, lodged by Taylor Burrell Barnett on behalf of owner Mksea, proposes a 20,750 square metre warehouse for logistics company Mainfreight including an 890 square metre cool room.

The application also includes a two-storey main office building, internal dock office, sea container handstand storage and parking bays for 25 trucks and 135 cars.

City of Gosnells councillor and panel member Peter Abetz said the development would fit in well and would help employment in the area.

“The condition of construction works between 7am to 7pm, that will be appreciated by those still in residential areas nearby,” he said.

JDAP presiding member Ian Birch said he expected plenty of demand for similar type of development once “all settles down”.

“Hopefully it might be a case of where we’re getting ahead of the development front instead of catching up all the time,” he said.

Speaking at the JDAP meeting, Hesperia senior development manager Glenn Coffey said the team would be doing something new and look into reusing run-off water from the roof.

“We’re actually using some of the roofwater for filtration,” he said.

Mr Coffey said there would be research with Mainfreight on the water going to swells and surrounding basins.

Construction of the Mainfreight facilities would start in the next few weeks and was expected to finish by mid-2023.

"It is important that we are able to assist companies to expand their operations in WA during this bouyant economic period where tenants need greater capacity to support the growth of their clients across a range of sectors," Hesperia director Judd Dyer said.

"There is substantial demand for industrial property and facilities and we are ensuring a pipeline of opportunities across Perth for tenants."

Mainfreight is a New Zealand-listed supply chain logistics company.

National tyres wholesaler Total Tyres also lodged plans in March to build a $25 million complex of two warehouses, offices and car bays as part of the Roe Highway Logistics Park.